Is this the Coolest Plane Ever? Icelandair Launches World's First Glacier Plane

May 16, 2017

The Vatnajökull plane is part of Icelandair’s transatlantic fleet providing passengers with a guaranteed experience of the Vatnajökull glacier.

All Icelandair planes are named after Icelandic volcanoes and this special livery joins the Hekla Aurora, created in 2015 and inspired by the northern lights, as the second hand crafted piece of artwork to adorn one of their fleet. So now when you fly transatlantic or take a stopover you can explore another natural phenomenon before you even land.

Icelandair commissioned this plane as part of their celebrations for their 80th anniversary this year. The plane is being spray painted by hand, by a team of artists; the same group who created the Hekla Aurora plane. The process of airbrushing used to create the image of the glacier is a highly unusual, skilled job that will take the team a total of 24 days to complete using 195 litres of paint. It takes 1062 litres to cover the entire plane, which is over 200 domestic size tins.

The new Vatnajökull plane also features wonderful touches of glacier magic within its interiors to replicate the experience of the Vatnajökull glacier itself. Ambient moving LED blue lighting will be installed in the main cabin; the headrests will be adorned with a beautiful ice white and brilliant turquoise design. Even the drinks trolley will be transformed into a mini ice-cave, while cups, napkins, and even sick bags will be decorated with glacier prints!

The Vatnajökull glacier is the most active in Iceland with around 60 eruptions over the last 800 years, not surprising seeing as it has three active volcanoes beneath its surface: Öræfajökull, Báròarbunga and Grímsvötn. It covers an area of 8100-8300 sq km, 8% of the country’s land mass and is considered to be one of the seven natural wonders of Europe. Icelandair has been a supporter of the‘Friends of Vatnajokull’ since the non-profit organization was formed in 2009 to support research and educational activities.